Mali: eight Burkinabe peacekeepers wounded near Timbuktu

Eight peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were wounded Thursday in the explosion of a mine in the Timbuktu region, plagued by violence by jihadist groups, the UN said. The wounded are part of the Burkinabe contingent Read More …

Bomb kills two UN peacekeepers in Mali

Two UN peacekeepers were killed and two others injured Friday after an improvised bomb exploded in central Mali, a spokesman for the MINUSMA mission tweeted. The soldiers were part of the Egyptian contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission, a security Read More …

Niger Says Army Killed 40 Boko Haram Fighters on Lake Chad Islands

The Niger government said Wednesday that the army had killed around 40 Boko Haram jihadis in overnight fighting on islets in Lake Chad. “Some 100 Boko Haram fighters arrived in four large wooden canoes and an armed speedboat” and attempted Read More …

Jihadi-Linked Violence on Rise in Burkina Faso

A report by Human Rights Watch finds civilians in Burkina Faso are suffering from an increase in attacks by armed Islamist groups and government security forces. The conflict has displaced millions and increased recruitment into armed groups. The escalating attacks Read More …

Togo: Eight soldiers killed in the Kpendjal prefecture, raising spectre of first deadly Islamist attack

Eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in an attack in northern Togo on Wednesday, the government said, marking potentially the first deadly raid on its territory by Islamist militants who have killed thousands in neighbouring countries. Before dawn, a Read More …

Civil Society Perspectives: ISIL in Africa – Key Trends and Developments

The present report synthesizes the views of more than 50 representatives of African civil society organizations (CSOs), located in 15 Member States, who contributed to two virtual roundtables convened by CTED in October and November 2021. The roundtables aimed to Read More …

Attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso kill 21, wound dozens

Fifteen soldiers and six civilians were killed on Sunday in attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, neighbouring West African countries struggling with deadly jihadist insurgencies, military and security sources said. Suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives into three military Read More …

Malian army unit accompanied by a ‘Russian adviser’ struck an improvised explosive device in Mopti Region

A Russian national operating alongside Malian soldiers was killed by a roadside bomb in Sahel state, marking the first confirmed death of what in Mali are officially described as Russian military instructors. According to an army document seen by AFP, Read More …

ISIL 2.0: How the group became a franchise

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) has changed form several times over the years. With its origins in the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, ISIL was forged from an alliance between Read More …

Nigerian Army destroyed militants vehicle fabrication workshop and VBIED making materials and equipment

Gallant troops of Operation LAKE SANITY today neutralized several terrorists and recovered weapons/ equipment around the Lake Chad axis. BokoHaram/ISWAP Central Vehicle Fabrication Workshop & several bunkers were also discovered and destroyed. Additionally, troops also discovered and destroyed Vehicle Borne Read More …

Burkina Faso: 13 soldiers killed in attack by suspected Islamic extremists in Gourma province

At least 13 soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in Burkina Faso’s eastern Gourma province in an ambush by suspected Islamic extremists, the army announced on Monday. A number of the attackers were killed in the incident, according to Read More …

Mali: The Head of MINUSMA strongly condemns IED attack against peacekeepers in Kidal Region

The Head of MINUSMA strongly condemned the improvised explosive device attack against peacekeepers today around Tessalit. In his Twitter post Mr El Ghassim Wane wished a good recovery to the 4 seriously injured personnel and renewed the commitment of peacekeepers Read More …

Mali: 2 Malian soldiers and 2 UN peacekeepers killed by an improvised explosive device north of Mopti

A United Nations peacekeeping convoy hit a roadside bomb in central Mali, killing two peacekeepers and wounding four others, the mission said Monday, while another attack on the Malian military left two dead. The new violence comes just days after Read More …

Niger: Five soldiers killed in IED explosion in Torodi region

Five soldiers have been killed by a mine in Niger’s southwestern Torodi region, where jihadist attacks using improvised explosive device (IEDs) are increasingly frequent, the defence ministry said on Sunday. Three soldiers were wounded in the blast, which occurred on Read More …

Mali: At least 27 soldiers killed in attack on an army base in Mopti Region

A militant attack on an army base in central Mali on Friday killed at least 27 soldiers and wounded 33 more, the government said. Seven soldiers are still missing following the complex attack in the rural commune of Mondoro, which Read More …

France confirms it will withdraw from Mali after nearly 10 years fighting insurgency

“The political, operational and legal conditions are no longer met to effectively continue their current military engagement in the fight against terrorism in Mali,” said a joint statement signed by France and European and African allies, announcing a “coordinated withdrawal” Read More …

Niger: Improvised Land Mine Kills Five Soldiers in Tillaberi region

An improvised explosive device has killed five Nigerien soldiers in the southwest of the Sahel country, the defense ministry said Thursday. An army patrol unit on Wednesday hit the device, killing the five soldiers and wounding two others, the ministry Read More …

Burkina Faso army chief calls for ‘new impetus’ to combat jihadi terrorism

Burkina Faso’s new armed forces chief, who was appointed last week following a military coup, on Wednesday vowed to give a “new impetus” to a years-long struggle against jihadist insurgents. At a ceremony to mark his appointment, Colonel David Kabre Read More …